NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A Nassau County couple was arrested on child neglect charges following an investigation into an incident involving a 5-week-old infant in November.
A 19-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man are facing child neglect with great bodily harm charges after the couple’s 5-week-old daughter was rushed to the hospital and then transferred to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the sheriff’s office, doctors said the infant had multiple leg fractures that did not appear to have happened accidentally.
The mother told investigators that the infant may have suffered the injuries when the 27-year-old man pinned her legs back to change the infant’s diaper.
According to the affidavit, the mother told child protection that she was in the bathroom when she heard her daughter screaming in pain.
The report said the mother ran out and found the child’s father pinning one of the infant’s legs under her other leg as he attempted to change her diaper.
The affidavit said two days later, the mother talked with a relative about what she should do after discovering her daughter had a swollen leg.
The relative advised her to take the child to the emergency room. But according to investigators, that didn’t happen.
Two more days went by and according to the affidavit, the infant screamed in pain when her father lifted her from a bassinet.
When the infant arrived at Baptist Health North, she required delicate surgery, so she was transferred to Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
Medical experts determined the infant’s leg fractures were caused by physical abuse associated with brutal handling of her legs.
The sheriff’s office said the child went about four days without medical treatment before she was rushed to the hospital.
NCSO also said the investigation revealed that the couple and the child lived in a dilapidated home.